"no singles, just fillers. sometimes i wish i could. but I can't behave"
Title: You'll Never Die in This Town Again. Chapter 6.
Author: mothergoddamn
Pairing/characters: Harry/OMC Harry/Perry
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Do not own, so do not sue.
Summary: Harry is tired of Perry not trusting him on cases, so he sets out to prove his own worth. Naturally it goes very, very wrong.
Author Note: Massive thanks to rat_chan for all her help.
Previous:
Chapter 1.
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chaper 4
Chapter 5
You'll Never Die in This Town Again-Chapter 6.
Flipping over the bacon, Perry found his eyes were once more drawn to the clock. Harry still wasn’t home. Too busy having fun with Richard no doubt, Perry thought bitterly. Was it too soon to text again? The last thing Perry wanted, God forbid, was for Harry to think that he cared or something. He groaned and rubbed at his temples absently, last night hanging heavily on his brow. How much wine had they consumed between them? He felt like he had a vineyard in his gut.
He jumped as the front door slammed, the sound vibrating through the house. Harry! Food forgotten he practically ran into the front room, composing himself at last second. Setting his face into a neutral expression, Perry nonchalantly wandered out to greet him. “You never told me it was a sleepover? I’d have packed your jammies and...Ronnie!” Perry gasped, feeling as though ice had filled his veins.
“Hey, Per!” Harry said, sounding slightly hysterical. “I just bumped into your wife. Your wife was just outside, you see. Waiting for you, her husband. I helped your wife with her suitcases. Look! She has suitcases!”
“Fuck...” Perry breathed. “What the fuck are...”
“Christ, Perry, that smells good. Much better than Harry’s Burnt Toast Special.” Harmony appeared on the stair, hair mussed and clad in Perry’s short white shirt. She yawned and stretched, the shirt lifting tantalizingly higher. “Oh, hey, Harry!”
“What the fuck, Hugh Heffner? How many more you got stowed away?” Harry snapped, dumping Ronnie’s case on the floor.
“Look, Harry, I can explain...”
“Harmony!” Harry said, meeting her at the bottom of the stairs. “Have you met Perry’s life partner?”
“If this is a bad time,” Ronnie began. “I could...”
“Life partner? I don’t get...”
“No, I’m perfectly serious. She’s got a ring and everything.”
“Everybody shut up!” Perry couldn’t take it any longer. “Okay, okay. You two,” He snapped a finger at a confused looking Harmony and a scowling Harry. “On the sofa.” He turned to Ronnie, his mouth filling with dryness at the sight of her. “Follow me.” Without waiting for a response he stormed into the kitchen, his heart hammering wildly in his chest.
Gripping the counter with both hands, he hissed breath from his chest. Trying to quell the nausea inside. Why now? After all this time? Why in hell was she back now?
“Bit of a shock, huh?” she said, numbly behind him. “How about we have a cuppa?”
“Help yourself. I’ll have a coffee-milk, no sugar.”
“But I don’t know where you keep your stuff!” she protested.
“Tea is in the jar marked “Tea”, sugar in the jar marked “Sugar” and, eerily, coffee is-“
“Shit. Still as charming as ever I see.”
“What do you expect?” He whirled to face her; finally angry now the shock was wearing off. “They don’t have phones in Boston? Email? Eight years, Ronnie. Eight fucking years!”
“Perry, I know. Don’t you think I hate the way thing ended between us? Regretted it every day?” She ran her hands through her curls and tugged at them in frustration. “I’m so sorry, okay?”
He sighed and stared over her shoulder, eyes focused on nothing. “Why are you here, Ronnie?”
“I want a divorce.”
“Oh. Oh. I see.” He nodded, shaking his head with a laugh. “And took you this long to figure that out?”
“Listen, Perry, I’m so grateful for everything that you did for me. I can never repay you! I would have called but this just seemed too huge to say over the phone. But I met someone. They're...special. They...they remind me of you!”
“Well, hopefully not too much or you’ll be doing this again in another decade.” She moved towards him cautiously, taking his hand into hers. “Where you staying?” he said in a tired voice as her familiar perfume filled his senses.
“Hollywood. A little bed and breakfast off the main. Just for a couple of nights.”
“No, no way. Not unless you have your heart set on being raped and murdered. You’re staying here.”
“Oh, Perry. I can’t. Your boyfriend is already mad enough. I swear he hit me in the shin with my case on purpose.”
“Boyfriend? Oh, Harry! No, it’s nothing like that. He just works for me.”
“Really? I could have sworn he was totally your type. Well, until opened his mouth.”
“Yeah, if morons could fly he’d be a squadron leader.” Perry smiled, with affection.
“Cute , though,” she teased, resting her head on his shoulder. Perry realised with a start just how much he had missed her, and how much he’d been lying to himself about that all these years. “Wait, is that girl...”
“No! You think I haven’t learned by now? There’s no one, you know me. No names, no addresses. Just companions for the evening.” He sighed and let go of her hand. “Look, we’ve got a lot to talk about. But right now, how about we go face the music out there? We leave it any longer they’ll combust.”
They entered the room amid fevered whispering and giggling. The latter one sided and belonging to Harmony . Harry looked ready to tear the room apart. It was oddly hot. If directed at anyone other than him Perry would have sat back and enjoyed the view. “Okay, okay! “ He held his hands up as they turned to him. “Yes, I’m married to Ronnie. For the time being, at least. Other than that it’s none of you...Harmony, you don’t need to raise your hand, what?”
“Does this mean your bisexual? Like...Bi Perry? That doesn’t sound right...”
“Christ, no! I like cock, okay? “ Perry rolled his eyes. “This...it wasn’t about that.”
“Delicately put, darling.” Ronnie said, taking a seat opposite Harry’s glower.
Perry joined her, rubbing his hands on his thighs as nerves hit him. How the fuck was he going to explain this?
“I’m going to leave you lovebirds to it,” Harry snapped, jumping up from the sofa.
“Harry! Don’t be an asshole,” Harmony chided. Ignoring her, Harry stalked towards the stairs as the others fell into an uncomfortable silence.
Perry turned to the others and spread his hands apologetically. “Give me a minute.” He caught Harry’s elbow as he mounted the third step. “Wait!”
“Careful! You’re a married man.”
“What the fuck has got into you?” Perry said through gritted teeth. “Why are you acting like this?”
“Me? What about you? You never felt the need to tell me? You trust me that much? Thanks so much for the vote of confidence.”
“Oh, quit it! You’re acting like a jealous prick!”
“Jealous? Fine, okay then. I’m jealous, if that makes you feel better.” Harry shook his arm free, his features softening. “Come on, dude. I’m really tired. Can we leave this?”
Perry looked at him, really looked at him. Saw the bags under his eyes, the way his shoulders seemed to stoop in defeat and his face was filled with a quiet disappointment. But Perry was certain he was not the sole cause. “Harry? Did something happen?”
“No, no. Listen, I am fine. I’m sorry...this is just a bit much at the moment.”
“It’s not what you think, Harry. Ronnie was my best friend and...”
“It’s okay, you don’t need to explain. Not right now. It’s like...it’s like...” A light seemed to go on in Harry’s eyes and he turned to him, the step making him tower over Perry for once. “It’s like, a guy or a girl can make a mistake and then it’s like this huge colossal fucking mistake and you want to take it back but you can’t and you’re not sure if you really regret it. You know? Maybe, this was the like...like a catalyst and you needed it to help you realise something much bigger. Kinda like when the stabilizers come off your BMX? You know? ”
“Harry. I don’t have the energy to mentally Babelfish you. What the fuck?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Harry sighed and ran a hand down his face, kneading the skin. “Ignore me. I’ll see you later.”
Perry watched him trawl up the stairs, worry filling him for a moment. Why did he feel that things were about to go from bad to worse?
Chapter 7
Author: mothergoddamn
Pairing/characters: Harry/OMC Harry/Perry
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Do not own, so do not sue.
Summary: Harry is tired of Perry not trusting him on cases, so he sets out to prove his own worth. Naturally it goes very, very wrong.
Author Note: Massive thanks to rat_chan for all her help.
Previous:
Chapter 1.
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chaper 4
Chapter 5
You'll Never Die in This Town Again-Chapter 6.
Flipping over the bacon, Perry found his eyes were once more drawn to the clock. Harry still wasn’t home. Too busy having fun with Richard no doubt, Perry thought bitterly. Was it too soon to text again? The last thing Perry wanted, God forbid, was for Harry to think that he cared or something. He groaned and rubbed at his temples absently, last night hanging heavily on his brow. How much wine had they consumed between them? He felt like he had a vineyard in his gut.
He jumped as the front door slammed, the sound vibrating through the house. Harry! Food forgotten he practically ran into the front room, composing himself at last second. Setting his face into a neutral expression, Perry nonchalantly wandered out to greet him. “You never told me it was a sleepover? I’d have packed your jammies and...Ronnie!” Perry gasped, feeling as though ice had filled his veins.
“Hey, Per!” Harry said, sounding slightly hysterical. “I just bumped into your wife. Your wife was just outside, you see. Waiting for you, her husband. I helped your wife with her suitcases. Look! She has suitcases!”
“Fuck...” Perry breathed. “What the fuck are...”
“Christ, Perry, that smells good. Much better than Harry’s Burnt Toast Special.” Harmony appeared on the stair, hair mussed and clad in Perry’s short white shirt. She yawned and stretched, the shirt lifting tantalizingly higher. “Oh, hey, Harry!”
“What the fuck, Hugh Heffner? How many more you got stowed away?” Harry snapped, dumping Ronnie’s case on the floor.
“Look, Harry, I can explain...”
“Harmony!” Harry said, meeting her at the bottom of the stairs. “Have you met Perry’s life partner?”
“If this is a bad time,” Ronnie began. “I could...”
“Life partner? I don’t get...”
“No, I’m perfectly serious. She’s got a ring and everything.”
“Everybody shut up!” Perry couldn’t take it any longer. “Okay, okay. You two,” He snapped a finger at a confused looking Harmony and a scowling Harry. “On the sofa.” He turned to Ronnie, his mouth filling with dryness at the sight of her. “Follow me.” Without waiting for a response he stormed into the kitchen, his heart hammering wildly in his chest.
Gripping the counter with both hands, he hissed breath from his chest. Trying to quell the nausea inside. Why now? After all this time? Why in hell was she back now?
“Bit of a shock, huh?” she said, numbly behind him. “How about we have a cuppa?”
“Help yourself. I’ll have a coffee-milk, no sugar.”
“But I don’t know where you keep your stuff!” she protested.
“Tea is in the jar marked “Tea”, sugar in the jar marked “Sugar” and, eerily, coffee is-“
“Shit. Still as charming as ever I see.”
“What do you expect?” He whirled to face her; finally angry now the shock was wearing off. “They don’t have phones in Boston? Email? Eight years, Ronnie. Eight fucking years!”
“Perry, I know. Don’t you think I hate the way thing ended between us? Regretted it every day?” She ran her hands through her curls and tugged at them in frustration. “I’m so sorry, okay?”
He sighed and stared over her shoulder, eyes focused on nothing. “Why are you here, Ronnie?”
“I want a divorce.”
“Oh. Oh. I see.” He nodded, shaking his head with a laugh. “And took you this long to figure that out?”
“Listen, Perry, I’m so grateful for everything that you did for me. I can never repay you! I would have called but this just seemed too huge to say over the phone. But I met someone. They're...special. They...they remind me of you!”
“Well, hopefully not too much or you’ll be doing this again in another decade.” She moved towards him cautiously, taking his hand into hers. “Where you staying?” he said in a tired voice as her familiar perfume filled his senses.
“Hollywood. A little bed and breakfast off the main. Just for a couple of nights.”
“No, no way. Not unless you have your heart set on being raped and murdered. You’re staying here.”
“Oh, Perry. I can’t. Your boyfriend is already mad enough. I swear he hit me in the shin with my case on purpose.”
“Boyfriend? Oh, Harry! No, it’s nothing like that. He just works for me.”
“Really? I could have sworn he was totally your type. Well, until opened his mouth.”
“Yeah, if morons could fly he’d be a squadron leader.” Perry smiled, with affection.
“Cute , though,” she teased, resting her head on his shoulder. Perry realised with a start just how much he had missed her, and how much he’d been lying to himself about that all these years. “Wait, is that girl...”
“No! You think I haven’t learned by now? There’s no one, you know me. No names, no addresses. Just companions for the evening.” He sighed and let go of her hand. “Look, we’ve got a lot to talk about. But right now, how about we go face the music out there? We leave it any longer they’ll combust.”
They entered the room amid fevered whispering and giggling. The latter one sided and belonging to Harmony . Harry looked ready to tear the room apart. It was oddly hot. If directed at anyone other than him Perry would have sat back and enjoyed the view. “Okay, okay! “ He held his hands up as they turned to him. “Yes, I’m married to Ronnie. For the time being, at least. Other than that it’s none of you...Harmony, you don’t need to raise your hand, what?”
“Does this mean your bisexual? Like...Bi Perry? That doesn’t sound right...”
“Christ, no! I like cock, okay? “ Perry rolled his eyes. “This...it wasn’t about that.”
“Delicately put, darling.” Ronnie said, taking a seat opposite Harry’s glower.
Perry joined her, rubbing his hands on his thighs as nerves hit him. How the fuck was he going to explain this?
“I’m going to leave you lovebirds to it,” Harry snapped, jumping up from the sofa.
“Harry! Don’t be an asshole,” Harmony chided. Ignoring her, Harry stalked towards the stairs as the others fell into an uncomfortable silence.
Perry turned to the others and spread his hands apologetically. “Give me a minute.” He caught Harry’s elbow as he mounted the third step. “Wait!”
“Careful! You’re a married man.”
“What the fuck has got into you?” Perry said through gritted teeth. “Why are you acting like this?”
“Me? What about you? You never felt the need to tell me? You trust me that much? Thanks so much for the vote of confidence.”
“Oh, quit it! You’re acting like a jealous prick!”
“Jealous? Fine, okay then. I’m jealous, if that makes you feel better.” Harry shook his arm free, his features softening. “Come on, dude. I’m really tired. Can we leave this?”
Perry looked at him, really looked at him. Saw the bags under his eyes, the way his shoulders seemed to stoop in defeat and his face was filled with a quiet disappointment. But Perry was certain he was not the sole cause. “Harry? Did something happen?”
“No, no. Listen, I am fine. I’m sorry...this is just a bit much at the moment.”
“It’s not what you think, Harry. Ronnie was my best friend and...”
“It’s okay, you don’t need to explain. Not right now. It’s like...it’s like...” A light seemed to go on in Harry’s eyes and he turned to him, the step making him tower over Perry for once. “It’s like, a guy or a girl can make a mistake and then it’s like this huge colossal fucking mistake and you want to take it back but you can’t and you’re not sure if you really regret it. You know? Maybe, this was the like...like a catalyst and you needed it to help you realise something much bigger. Kinda like when the stabilizers come off your BMX? You know? ”
“Harry. I don’t have the energy to mentally Babelfish you. What the fuck?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Harry sighed and ran a hand down his face, kneading the skin. “Ignore me. I’ll see you later.”
Perry watched him trawl up the stairs, worry filling him for a moment. Why did he feel that things were about to go from bad to worse?
Chapter 7